Laura's Dance Lessons
by Kristen3
Summary: Laura, now a dance instructor, is asked to help a special little girl learn to dance. Post-series.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **The idea for this story came out of an interview I saw with Mary where she was asked what Laura might have done in her later years. She said Laura would probably have gone into teaching dance, possibly w/ disabled children. That sparked something in my brain, and it literally wouldn't go away. This resulted. I know I'm not finished, and I do have ideas for Chapter 2! :)

Laura checked her watch. "Well, that's about enough for this week," she said. "We'll work more on this next time." Immediately, the young girls in her dance class took off running. Most went to find their parents, but a couple came up to hug Laura before leaving.

"Thank you, Mrs. Petrie. Class was really fun!"

Laura loved the feel of a small pair of arms around her waist. It almost made her remember when Richie was small. But now he was a grown man, a well-known TV director. When he'd begun to reach his teen years, Laura knew her role as a mother was changing. She understood that he had to go and live his life. But it left her feeling very empty.

By this time, Rob had retired. He'd decided that the stress of working on a weekly TV show just wasn't worth it. His life now revolved around fishing trips with Jerry Helper, bridge games, and playing the occasional round of golf. But Laura knew she needed something more. She thought back over her life, and besides Rob and their son, the one thing she'd loved was dance. Knowing that, she visited a few dance schools, and soon found herself hired. Now she was the one commuting to the city every week. It was tough, but it made her happy in ways that being a wife and mother never could have.

Laura's mind was brought back to the present when she noticed a woman standing in the doorway. "Can I help you?"

The woman smiled nervously. This was a long shot, she knew. Coming here was probably a waste of time, but it was too late to back out now. "Are you in charge of this dance school?"

"No," Laura said, walking over to her. "I'm just one of the instructors. I'd be happy to answer any questions you have about our programs."

"I do have a question, but I'm not sure what you're going to say. If you don't want to do it, just say so. I completely understand."

"I can't tell you if I'll do it until I know what it is," Laura said with a laugh.

"Well, my daughter's been dying to take ballet lessons. Lately, it's all she talks about. I promised her I'd see what I could do, but…."

"Has she had lessons before? If not, we do have a beginner's class. That was the class that just ended. I love working with the little kids. It takes me back to when my son was little."

"That's very kind of you, but there's something you should know about my daughter. She's a bit….slow. Not mentally, mind you, but she does have some difficulty with walking, running, that sort of thing. I don't know how she'll do in dance, but as I said, she's talking about it non-stop."

Laura smiled. This would be a challenge, but she didn't mind. "Why don't you bring her in here one day, and I'll see how she does? We can decide from there what's best."

"Really? You'd do that? I figured you'd say no. She might need a lot of extra help. Like I said, I'll understand if you can't do it."

"It's no trouble," Laura said. "She might surprise you. Maybe she's better than you think."

Laura thought about the conversation as she made the drive back to New Rochelle. It was something she'd never thought of doing before, yet she knew without a doubt she wanted to try it. She'd known that teaching dance would not only help her, but others too. Still, there was no way she could've foreseen this.

When Laura arrived at home, Rob was there to greet her with a kiss. It reminded her strongly of the years when she'd greeted him after he returned from his job at _Alan Brady_. Times certainly had changed.

"How was class today?" Rob asked. He enjoyed being the one to ask the question. At first, he wasn't sure about the idea of Laura taking a job. But he found it made her happy, and so it made him happy. Simply put, he liked seeing her smile.

"Good. The kids are so adorable, Rob."

"I bet they all love you, don't they?" Rob couldn't imagine anyone not loving Laura.

"Well, a couple of the girls did hug me as they left." Laura shrugged in embarrassment.

Rob merely waited. He had the feeling there was something on Laura's mind.

"After my class ended, I talked to a woman who wants to sign her daughter up for lessons."

"That's great," Rob said. She was getting quite a bit of business through word-of-mouth.

"Well, I'm not so sure," Laura admitted. "The mother said she has some physical problems. She's not even sure her daughter can do it. But I told her to bring the girl to the studio. I'll at least give her a chance."

Rob was touched. Of course Laura was willing to give a child with a disability a chance to try. "With you helping her, I'll bet she'll be a top ballerina one day."

Laura kissed him. He believed in her, totally and completely. Though she was still uncertain about this whole thing, his words made her feel a sense of optimism. Maybe this would work out. Suddenly, she could hardly wait to get back to the dance school.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, Laura arrived at the dance school a bit early, just in case the woman showed up again. She wished she'd thought to get her phone number, or at least a name. Oh, well, kicking herself now wouldn't change anything. All she could do was wait.

While she waited, Laura got some of her equipment set up and did some paperwork. Then she sighed, wondering if she was wasting her time. Maybe the woman wouldn't even show. It would be a miracle if she did. But as soon as Laura thought that, she remembered back to the early days when she and Rob met. It had been pure chance that Rob schemed his way into becoming her dance partner. And didn't that end up being the best thing that ever happened to her? Laura couldn't begin to imagine what would've happened if they hadn't eventually fallen in love.

Once again, Laura's mind returned to the present when she heard a door open. To her utter surprise, it was the woman she'd met yesterday! Laura smiled at once. "I was hoping you'd come back."

The mother returned the smile. "Yes. This might be her only chance. I can't thank you enough for this!"

Laura waved her hand dismissively. "Don't mention it."

"Well, anyway, my name is Cynthia Murphy, and this is my daughter, Charlotte."

Laura shook Cynthia's hand. "I'm Laura Petrie." Laura's eye drifted to the young girl standing beside Cynthia. She seemed shy. Immediately, Laura's heart went out to her. "Hello, Charlotte."

"H-hi," the little girl stammered. She seemed to be about eight, but small for her age. Laura could tell she walked a bit slowly, her steps more deliberate than normal. Laura felt nothing but compassion for this child. Impulsively, she pulled Charlotte into a hug.

It was clear that the embrace had calmed Charlotte down somewhat. She smiled gratefully at Laura.

"Well, Charlotte, we don't want to take up too much of Mrs. Petrie's time, so let's get started," Cynthia said.

Laura waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry, my class still doesn't start for another few minutes. And, please, call me Laura."

"OK," Charlotte said. She was still clearly nervous. Laura desperately wished she could ease the child's anxiety. She slipped an arm around Charlotte's shoulder and gently guided the girl to the barre. When they reached the barre, Laura smiled at Charlotte. "Don't worry, I'm not going to make this too hard. You'll be fine."

Charlotte returned the smile, although hers was decidedly more nervous. She took a deep breath, praying with everything in her that she could follow along. She knew this might be her only chance to fulfill her dream.

"OK," Laura said. "Let me show you what we call first position. Watch my feet." Laura stood at the barre, putting her heels together. Charlotte copied her, if a bit awkwardly. "Good!" Laura was pleased. This was going well so far! "Now, put your arms like this." Laura extended her arms, in a bit of a rounded position. Once again, Charlotte did the same. Laura couldn't hide her smile if she'd wanted to. "Good!"

Charlotte's heart pounded. She was glad that Mrs. Petrie seemed to be very kind, and she apparently wanted this to work.

"OK, now we go into second position." Laura spread her feet apart, then lifted her arms above her head. Charlotte followed along. It wasn't perfect, by any means, but it was certainly a good beginning effort.

Laura looked at how Charlotte was standing. It was _almost_ exactly how it was supposed to be. Charlotte clearly moved a bit more slowly and hesitantly than other girls, but she knew the girl was giving it her all. That fact alone made Laura prouder than she could say. "That's enough for now, I think." She relaxed her pose and allowed Charlotte to do the same. Then she walked over to where Cynthia stood, watching.

"How did she do?" Cynthia asked. "I'm no expert, but that seemed pretty good!"

"It was," Laura agreed. "I won't lie, this might be harder for her than it would be for another child, but there's no reason she can't do it. Especially if she's really determined. I can tell she wants it."

Cynthia laughed. "When I said it's all she talks about, I wasn't exaggerating."

Laura nodded, understanding. "OK, if you want to do this, there's some paperwork you need to sign. And there's the matter of the fee, but we're pretty flexible about payment." She had a feeling that might be another hurdle.

"Where do I sign?" Cynthia sighed, relieved. She'd been worried about how she and her husband would pay for this.

Laura led her over to a desk and handed her a clipboard and pen. Cynthia eagerly began filling out the paperwork. While she did that, Laura walked back over to where Charlotte still stood. "You're mom's just filling out a few forms," she explained.

Charlotte couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You mean that's it? I can do this?"

Laura could only nod. She didn't trust her voice; if she tried to speak, she knew she might easily get too emotional.

"Wow!" was all Charlotte could say. "This is so cool!" She threw her arms around Mrs. Petrie. "Thank you, thank you…."

Laura gently pulled Charlotte off. "You don't have to thank me. You were really pretty good."

A few minutes later, the paperwork was done, and Charlotte was officially enrolled. Laura received several more hugs from both mother and daughter as they left. In her chest, Laura could feel her own heart pounding. In the time that she'd been teaching, there had been many moments that made her profoundly glad she made this choice. But none, she thought, could ever top this one.


	3. Chapter 3

Throughout her life, Laura knew she'd had more than a few highlights. Besides meeting Rob and eventually marrying him, there was the birth of her son. Watching him grow up was an unforgettable experience. These were memories Laura cherished. And now, there was another one she could add to the list. She'd had to teach several classes that day, but all she could think of was Charlotte. It was unbelievable that, just a few days ago, she'd had no idea about any of this. Life sure had a way of surprising her.

These thoughts went through Laura's mind as she pulled into the familiar driveway of her New Rochelle home. Her pulse quickened as she realized Rob was inside, and she would tell him about what had happened today. She wanted to pinch herself. How was she so lucky? It was a question she would probably never be able to answer.

As Laura reached the door, she couldn't keep the smile off her face. When Rob opened it, he could immediately see something was different. "Well, how was your day?" he asked, grinning.

"It was better than I expected! Charlotte and her mother showed up. And Charlotte did really well! She's officially enrolled. I can hardly believe it!"

"That's amazing," Rob said, kissing her. "I knew it would work out."

"Well, I'll admit I wasn't so sure. But I'm so glad to be wrong!"

"I know you weren't sure, but I never doubted you for a second." Once again, Rob kissed her. He'd never been prouder of her, in all the years they'd been married.

Laura knew Rob was telling the truth. She loved him for it. Some men might have been uncomfortable with the idea of their wives having interests outside the home. But Rob had supported her from the beginning. In a way, he was as responsible for today's events as she was. She kissed him this time, a bit longer. "How can I ever thank you?"

"For what?" Rob asked, laughing a bit. "I didn't do anything."

Laura shook her head. "You believed in me. I would have never had the courage to even try something like this if I hadn't known that. And I don't just mean today. I mean this whole dance school idea. It was such a change from anything I've ever done before…"

Rob touched her cheek. He felt himself falling for her all over again. For a second, he saw her as she'd looked all those years ago, back when he'd proposed to her in a Jeep. She'd only gotten more beautiful since then. "Oh, Laura….all these years I've known you….I've seen how you raised Rich, even when I wasn't always around like I should've been. I still don't know how you did that! When you told me you wanted to start teaching dance, I knew you'd be amazing at it."

Laura knew she couldn't speak; the lump in her throat was too great. Instead, she put her arms around Rob, holding him like that for several moments.

The silence was abruptly broken when Rob's cellphone rang. He hadn't wanted to get one, but Richie had insisted, wanting a way to contact his parents in case of emergency. Rob managed to get his phone from his pocket and check the caller ID. "Oh! It's Rich!"

"Really?" Laura asked. They'd just been thinking of their son. How coincidental was that?

Rob pushed a button to answer the call. He quickly put the phone on speaker so Laura could hear. "Son!"

"Hi, Dad," Richie said. Even from so far away, he loved hearing from his parents.

"How are you?" Laura asked.

"Oh, I'm OK. You know, the normal stuff when you're directing a hit TV show." He laughed.

"I know, it's not easy sometimes," Rob agreed, remembering the years he'd spent dealing with Alan and all of his demands. "But you'll get through it, you always do."

"Yeah," Richie agreed, though he didn't sound sure.

Laura decided she could hold back her news no longer. "Richie, guess what? I enrolled a new student at the dance school today. A little girl who has some physical problems. Her mom wasn't even sure she'd be able to do it, but she amazed us both! I was just telling your father. I think it's the most amazing thing I've seen since I started teaching."

Richie could hardly believe what he was hearing. He'd understood why his mother felt the need to find some other purpose for her life once she'd finished raising him. He'd thought it was a good fit, but never thought much beyond that. It had never seemed like a big deal to him. But this was something he'd never imagined. "Wow, Mom. That's incredible!"

Rob nodded. "That's what I think. Your mom wasn't too sure in the beginning, but of course, I never doubted her." Even though Rob was speaking to his son, his eyes were locked on Laura's.

Suddenly, the lump in Laura's throat was back again. She'd always known that Rob and Richie loved her; they'd both told her so countless times. But hearing what she'd just heard was quite another thing. Laura knew without a doubt this entire experience was something she'd remember for the rest of her life.

**The End**


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